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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29158518">Paper Rings</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/afsalta/pseuds/afsalta'>afsalta</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Grey's Anatomy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Online Dating, Dating, F/M, Online Dating</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:15:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,491</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29158518</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/afsalta/pseuds/afsalta</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Amelia and Link met differently? More specifically, through Tinder?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Atticus Lincoln/Amelia Shepherd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“All of his photos are with his mom. He looks like he would spend the whole time talking about her.”</p><p>“Amelia, stop being so picky. You are looking on Tinder. You’re not going to find some perfect guy on here,” Meredith laughed, stirring her coffee. She walked up behind Amelia. “He’s hot,”</p><p>“He’s also 23, Mer. I think he’s a bit too young.” The brunette set the phone down on the table and sighed. “I don’t think I’m ever going to find someone.” Maggie picked up the phone. “What are you doing!”</p><p>“Swiping, you’re definitely not going to find anybody if you don’t swipe.”</p><p>“Maggie! Give it back!”</p><p>“Bailey did this for me, and that’s how I met Clive.” She swiped right, smiling as the screen changed. “Look, you have a match! His name is Daniel. He’s 40 and an English professor.” Meredith paused, glancing over at the photo Maggie was showing Amelia.</p><p>“Mm, nope. I went on a date with him a few months ago. Cece set us up. I definitely scared him off.” Amelia threw her head down onto the table. “Hey, you’re the one who told me not to give up. Just because you and Owen are done doesn’t mean there’s no one for you.” Maggie’s face perked up.</p><p>“Look at this guy,” she whispered. “He’s hot.” Amelia took the phone from her and gawked at the screen.</p><p>“Okay, but his name is Atticus. Who names a kid that?” The brunette asked as Meredith reached over her shoulder and swiped right. “Hey, stop!”</p><p>“You have a match! With Atticus,” Meredith sang, grabbing her bag from the chair beside her sister. “Give it a shot, let him buy you dinner. The worst thing that could happen is you hate him and get a free meal.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>	Amelia didn’t think she hated him, at least from the conversations they’d had through the messenger. He’d even surprised her when he didn’t want just a hookup, something she’d received from the other guys her sister had matched her with. She walked down the hallway, laughing softly as she read the cheesy pickup line he had sent her. “Mm, are you talking to Atticus,” Meredith asked. Amelia looked to her side and smiled. </p><p>“Actually, I am. And he goes by Link. I gotta give it to you. He’s not as terrible as I thought.”</p><p>“Are you going out?”</p><p>“Tomorrow night. We’re going out for Italian food.” Meredith smirked at her sister. “Stop getting your hopes up,” Amelia muttered, “Remember when you thought you found that perfect guy, and then you found out he hates single moms?” </p><p>“Don’t remind me.” Meredith took the phone from Amelia. “But look at him, you have to give it a chance. A real chance.” </p><p>“Give what a chance?” Alex asked as he walked up beside Meredith. </p><p>“Amelia’s going on a date with a guy named Atticus, who she met on tinder.” She handed the phone to the pediatric surgeon, and he swiped through the photos.</p><p>“Tinder? You’re really on tinder, Shepherd?” Amelia grabbed the phone back from him and blushed softly.</p><p>“Look, I just need to get over Owen, and tinder is the easiest way to find someone. Everyone in this hospital has dated each other. It’s gross.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Red or blue?” Meredith looked up from the couch to see Amelia standing in front of her, holding two dresses. She pointed towards the dark blue dress.</p><p>“Blue, the red one is too bright for a fancy dinner date with Atticus.”</p><p>“When are you going to stop mocking his name? I already told you he goes by Link,” Amelia groaned. She dropped down onto the couch, sinking into the cushions. </p><p>“Because what parents curse their child with the name Atticus? You have to find out why he’s named that.” </p><p>“I don’t even know why I’m doing this. I haven’t gone on a date in forever. I’m going to be so awkward and make terrible conversation and then accidentally tell him about all of my emotional baggage, and then I’ll scare him away.” Meredith raised an eyebrow at Amelia and set down the book she was reading. </p><p>“Go put on your dress.” She watched as the neurosurgeon slowly stood up, walking up the stairs with the dark blue dress in hand. A minute later, Amelia returned to the living room wearing the dress. </p><p>“This is too much.”</p><p>“Stop, you look hot. New haircut, fancy dress, did you shave?” </p><p>“This isn’t a hookup. But, I did.” Amelia adjusted the straps on her dress and checked her phone. “He’s gonna be here soon. He said he’d pick me up at 8.”</p><p>“I’ll answer the door, embarrass him a little bit. This is fun!” Meredith exclaimed. “Are you wearing heels? I have the black ones up in my room, the ones that pinch a little.” She stood up from the couch. “Stay here. I’ll go grab them.” Amelia unlocked her phone, a text from him saying he was on his way that’d been delivered a few minutes ago. They’d started texting earlier that day, when Amelia had given him her phone number, claiming it was for convenience. Meredith came back down just as the doorbell rang. She widened her eyes at Amelia. “Here,” she whispered, “I’ll get the door.” Amelia took the heels from her and slipped them on, waiting out of view of the door. She could hear Meredith open it. </p><p>“Oh, I must have the wrong house,” a male voice spoke.</p><p>“No, I’m Amelia’s sister. You must be Atticus,” Meredith greeted, sticking out her hand for him to shake.</p><p>“Link, actually, no one calls me Atticus. Uh, where’s Amelia?” Amelia stepped forward into the hallway, waving awkwardly at him. </p><p>“Hi,” she whispered, walking up to the door. “Thank you, Mer. You can go.” Meredith stepped back, patting her sister’s shoulder as she did.</p><p>“Be safe!” Amelia turned back to the man in front of her after Meredith had walked out of view.</p><p>“Sorry about her, she wanted to meet you.” He grinned toothily down at her.</p><p>“It’s fine.” He paused, looking into her eyes. “You look beautiful. I got you these,” he presented her with a small bouquet of roses as she blushed at him, looking down at her feet.</p><p>“Thank you,” Amelia whispered, taking a moment to smell the white roses. She looked back up at him. “We should get going.”</p><p>“Right,” he said, opening the front door and holding it open for her. He led her to the car in the driveway, unlocking it and holding the passenger door open for her. </p><p>“Thank you.” Link smiled at her before closing the door and walking around to the other side of the car. He sat down in the driver’s seat and started the car. </p><p>“Okay, first stop, Angelini’s.” Amelia looked over at him.</p><p>“First stop?” He nodded.</p><p>“Hey, I’ve got this all planned out. As dumb as it sounds, I take dates very seriously. Even tinder dates.” He quickly glanced over at her. “You look surprised.”</p><p>“I just, why are you on tinder? Guys like you don’t use tinder.”</p><p>“I could say the same for you.” He backed out of the driveway and began to drive down the street. “I just moved here. I don’t start work for a while, and I wanted to meet people.”</p><p>“Do you do this a lot? Plan out romantic tinder dates?” He shook his head.</p><p>“You’re my first tinder date. Something about you, I can’t place my finger on it.”</p><p>“Something about my online dating profile, you mean.” Link laughed as his lips turned up into a grin. “Very chivalrous, Link.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Thank you,” Amelia whispered, taking the hand Link was holding out for her. He closed the car door behind her, and their hands fell away from each other as they walked toward the entrance of the restaurant. Once they walked up the stairs, he held open the door and followed behind her into the crowded waiting room. Link led her to the host, giving his name and turning back to her. “Lincoln?” She asked, following as the host led them to a table. “Is that where the nickname ‘Link’ comes from?”</p><p>“Mhm, Atticus Lincoln. It’s always felt too official for me, so I go by Link.” He pulled out her chair, sitting down across from her. “What comes after Amelia?”</p><p>“Shepherd.”</p><p>“Doctor Amelia Shepherd, very official.” She looked up from the menu. “What, it was on your profile. You’re a fancy neurosurgeon,” he stated, setting down his menu.</p><p>“And your profile didn’t have a job on it. I’m slightly concerned you’re a hitman or something.” He grinned.</p><p>“I’m the team doctor for the Mariners. And, next week I’m starting part-time at a hospital here.” Her eyes widened at his words and she laughed softly. “Did I say something funny?”</p><p>“No, it’s just that when I joined tinder, I kept talking about how I’d finally be dating someone who’s not a doctor. Of course, I’d end up with probably the only other doctor on the app.”  The waitress walked over to their table and Link sat up in his seat, placing the menu down. </p><p>“What can I get for you two today?” They gave the waitress their orders, and Amelia smiled when Link told her they’d pass on the wine.</p><p>“You remembered,” she muttered after the waitress had walked away.</p><p>“Hm?”</p><p>“You remembered that I don’t drink. I thought there was going to be some awkward conversation about it when we ordered.” His hands clasped together silently, and he smiled.</p><p>“Of course, why wouldn’t I?” Her mind went to all of the times Owen had left bottles of wine around the house, an empty beer bottle on the coffee table, or his half-finished drink in the kitchen. “You okay?”</p><p>“Yeah, sorry. Just thinking. What hospital are you going to be working at?”</p><p>“Grey-Sloan Memorial, where do you work?” Amelia stared at him for a moment in disbelief, leaning forward across the table.</p><p>“Grey-Sloan Memorial, are you sure you aren’t stalking me? This is a little creepy, you didn’t have a job on your profile, and now you’re a doctor at the hospital I work at.”</p><p>“In all fairness, you asked me where I was working first,” he retorted, sitting back in his seat. “So, I guess I’ll be seeing you around.”</p><p>“What do you do, sports medicine?”</p><p>“Orthopedic surgeon. My old student, Nico Kim, is the head of orthopedic surgery. It’ll be weird for him to be my boss, but I can’t complain.” She shook her head comically and paused. “You keep laughing at me. What is happening?”</p><p>“This just feels crazy.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I grew up here. And I moved to LA for a while, and worked in a bike shop for a few years.” Amelia looked up at him as they walked down the street, her arm looped through his.</p><p>“Are you serious? I worked in LA for a few years. Why’d you come back to Seattle?”</p><p>“The Mariners offered me a job. I couldn’t say no. It’s always been a dream of mine to work in the major leagues, on or off the field.” He lightly tugged her around the corner of the street. “Why’d you move up here?”</p><p>“My brother was leaving, and he offered his job to me. It was nice to have a new start. I’ve been here for about 5 years, now.” She glanced around at their surroundings and stopped. “Where are we going?”</p><p>“Just wait. As long as I didn’t get us lost, we should be there soon.” Their eyes met as he reached for her hand, taking it in his before he dropped it a moment later after noticing her hesitation. “Sorry, I just-”</p><p>“It’s okay,” she whispered as her hand found his again. He smiled to himself as they kept walking down the street.</p><p>“So your brother is here? In Seattle?” </p><p>“Not anymore. He died a few years ago.” </p><p>“Oh, I’m really sorry,” he paused in awkward silence for a moment. “I’m doing great here, aren’t I?” </p><p>“First date, and you already know about my dead brother. What’s next, you want a list of my childhood traumas?”</p><p>“No, we’ll save that for the second date. I’ll text you mine to make it easier.” She laughed as they stopped in front of a building. “Okay, we’re here.”</p><p>“The movie theater? Are we in high school?”</p><p>“What, dinner and a movie? It’s a classic.” </p><p>“You just wanna pull the cheesy yawn and put your arm around me, don’t you?” </p><p>“I mean, yeah,” he pushed open the door for her and led her into the lobby, purchasing two tickets for them. She couldn’t help but grin as his arm wrapped around her a few minutes into the movie, laying her head against his shoulder. They left the theater hand in hand, giggling about the cheesy romance of the movie while walking back to Link’s car. “So, I’m taking you?”</p><p>“Back to my place. I like you, but I just need to take things slow. I didn’t expect this from a tinder date.”</p><p>“What do you mean? You didn’t expect what?” He unlocked the car, opening the passenger door for her. She waited until he had sat down in the driver’s seat before continuing.</p><p>“I had this idea about online dating, that it’d be terrible no matter what. I was just expecting a crappy date that would help me put myself out there. And instead, I somehow found the one guy in the world who still believes in romance and giving things as ridiculous as tinder dates a chance.” Link smiled lightly and glanced over at her. “I’m just getting out of a pretty serious relationship, so I’m probably not what you’re looking for.”</p><p>“I like you more than I probably should, so I’m willing to wait for you. As slow as you want to take whatever this is, I’m willing.” She blushed slightly and looked down into her lap as he backed the car out of the lot. The car ride back to Meredith’s house was largely silent, besides him humming along to whatever song was on the radio. He parked the car in the driveway and stepped out, quickly opening her door before she had a chance. “Am I ever going to open a door in your presence?” He shook his head and walked with her up to the door.</p><p>“So, how long do I have to wait before I ask you out again?” Amelia smirked at him, leaning against the door.</p><p>“At least a day or two, don’t get too attached, yet.” He returned the smirk as silence settled between them.</p><p>“I really want to kiss you right now, if that’s okay,” his voice was soft, and she stepped towards him.</p><p>“Of course,” she whispered, his hand cupping her face while her eyes fluttered closed. Their lips met a second later, a soft kiss that ended too quickly for Amelia’s liking. She felt him pull away and opened her eyes to see him smiling widely. He stepped back a moment later, his hand falling away from her face and into his pocket.</p><p>“Alright, I’ll text you in a few days, just so I don’t get too attached.” Amelia waved gently, watching as he stepped backward.</p><p>“Thank you. I had a really good time.”</p><p>“Me too. Goodbye, Amelia.”</p><p>“Bye, Link.” She waited until he shut his car door before walking into the house, leaning against the closed door and grinning widely.</p><p>“It went well?” Meredith was standing in the hallway, a carton of ice cream in hand. Amelia nodded.</p><p>“It went really well.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Again?” Meredith was standing in the doorway of Amelia’s room, watching as she adjusted her sweater in the mirror “You just went out two days ago,” She stepped towards her sister and hooked the necklace around her neck. “You really like him,” Meredith teased.</p><p>“I know. I told myself I wouldn’t, yet here we are.” </p><p>“Where are you guys going?” Amelia turned around to look at Meredith, who was sitting down on the bed.</p><p>“His apartment.” The brunette ran her hands through her hair, glancing briefly in the mirror. “Is this too casual? I mean, I didn’t want to wear a dress or anything, we’re just watching a movie.” Meredith grinned.</p><p>“Just watching a movie, alone, at his apartment. Sounds like something else to me.” Amelia rolled her eyes. “The outfit’s fine. Not that it’ll be staying on, anyway-”</p><p>“Don’t you have children to watch?”</p><p>“They’re asleep. When are you leaving?”</p><p>“Soon, I’m giving myself time to get lost on the way. Do you think I’m getting too attached, that we’re moving too fast? I mean, our first date wasn’t even two weeks ago.” Meredith shrugged and laid back onto the bed, propping herself up with her elbow. </p><p>“I think it’s good for you, you need to get over Owen. Just don’t let Owen know that you’re dating him.” Amelia groaned in response. Link had started working at the hospital the past week, and she hadn’t yet told him that Owen was the ex she was still getting over. She’d seen them interact, they’d gotten along well and she’d even ended up in surgery with the both of them once. Although neither of them knew about the other, she felt extremely uncomfortable.</p><p>“Remember when I said I wanted to date someone outside of the hospital?” The general surgeon grinned. “Alright, I’m heading out.”</p><p>“Have fun! Be safe!” Amelia left the room after rolling her eyes at her sister, sticking out her tongue mockingly.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“It wasn’t that bad,” Link argued, turning off the TV. Amelia sunk back down into the couch, lying with her back against his chest as she did for the majority of the movie.</p><p>“She left everything to go follow around a guy she met a month ago! That’s just creepy and irresponsible.” He rested his head against hers, sighing contently. </p><p> </p><p>“It’s romantic. Do you just hate romance?” She sat up, quickly turning around to face him.</p><p>“No! I just think it’s stupid that she would completely forget everything she wanted because of some guy,” she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. Link chuckled at her expression. “What?”</p><p>“You look very adorable, all worked up over this.” She narrowed her eyebrows at him, grabbing one of the pillows behind her from the couch. He felt the pillow against his face a minute later, as Amelia moved forward to straddle him with a grin spread across her face. “Did you just hit me with a pillow?”</p><p>“Yup,” she dropped the pillow onto the floor beside the couch and looked into his eyes, “and I’d do it again.” His hands settled on her waist a moment later, pulling her closer onto his lap. “Link?”</p><p>“Hm?” Her eyes glanced back and forth between his eyes and his lips before she leaned forward. </p><p>“Take me to your bedroom.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>She woke up as the sunlight shone in through Link’s window, the yellow light resting over the bed. Their bodies were pressed up against each other, her head laid on his chest, his hand running through her hair. She shifted to look up at him, a soft smile across his mouth as he noticed she was awake. “Good morning,” she whispered. </p><p>“Good morning.” She smiled at the sound of his voice, rougher than usual as he had just woken up. “How’d you sleep?”</p><p>“Amazingly, you make a good pillow.” Her fingers traced softly up the contour of his chest while she spoke. “How did you sleep?”</p><p>“Pretty well, you talk in your sleep.” She raised her eyebrows in confusion.</p><p>“I do?” </p><p>“Mhm, you said my name a few times, then something about work. What’d you dream about?”</p><p>“This,” she leaned up to kiss him slowly, smiling against his lips as she pulled back. “How perfect it is. And you?”</p><p>“This.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“In hindsight, I probably should’ve checked my phone earlier,” Amelia laughed. They’d been interrupted a few hours later by her phone ringing, a call from Meredith asking if she was still going to pick Zola up from school. She pulled her pants up. </p><p>“Didn’t you say that she gets out of school at 3? It’s only 11, stay a little longer.” The brunette turned around to look at him on the bed, his body only covered by the thin sheet of the bed. </p><p>“If I stay longer, I’m not going to leave later.” He picked up and tossed her the bra she was wearing the night before, feigning annoyance. </p><p>“Are you working tonight? I’ve got a shift at 6, maybe I’ll see you?”</p><p>“No, I’ve got Leo tonight. I’m working in the morning though, we could do something after my shift tomorrow?”</p><p>“Leo?” Amelia pulled her sweater over her head and stood up.</p><p>“Yeah, Leo Hunt. Owen’s son.” </p><p>“Why do you have Owen’s son tonight?” Amelia paused, realizing what she had said. She turned around and saw the confusion spread across his face.</p><p>“Owen and I were his foster parents. I gave him full custody when we broke up.” </p><p>“You and Owen? Is he the one who treated you like crap, the one you’re still getting over?” His voice increased in volume and he sat up in the bed. Amelia nodded slowly.</p><p>“Yeah.” They were both silent for another second.</p><p>“Why didn’t you say anything? We work with the guy, you’re nice to him all the time.”</p><p>“I didn’t plan on you meeting him or anything, and after that, I was waiting for the right time.” She grabbed her phone off of the bed and slipped it into her pocket. “Link, I didn’t want to tell you because it happened in the past, and I need to move forward with my life. There’s nothing between me and Owen. It’s not a big deal.”</p><p>“You were together for five years. How is that not a big deal?” She sighed and rubbed her forehead.</p><p>“Look, I don’t want to talk about this. Not with you. I’ll call you later.” He watched her walk out of the room, hearing the apartment door shut a moment later. </p><p>“So much for perfect,” he muttered.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He saw her later that day, watching too closely as she greeted Owen in the hospital lobby and excitedly took the toddler from him. He watched her shower the baby with kisses, speaking to him in a high pitched voice while grinning widely. She soon said goodbye to Owen, turning around to leave without glancing over at Link. He scoffed silently, handing the tablet to the nurse across from him and thanking her. The rest of his shift was calm, a slow night in the ER with little to do. He got home from his shift, throwing his bag onto the couch and taking off his coat just to be interrupted by a knock on the door.</p><p>“Coming,” he shouted, running back towards the door and opening it. Amelia was standing in front of him, her face stern. “Hey,” he muttered.</p><p>“Can I come in?” Link paused for a moment.</p><p>“Is Leo with you? How about Owen?” She raised her eyebrows at him and crossed her arms over her chest.</p><p>“You know, I may have not known you for very long, but I didn’t expect you to be the type of person to judge me for my past.” He stepped back, opening the door for her to come inside his apartment. </p><p>“I wasn’t judging. I’m annoyed that you didn’t tell me. We work with Owen, I see him every day, and you didn’t think it was important to mention?”</p><p>“No, because it’s over with Owen. I knew that if I told you it would just be made into a bigger deal than it is, Link.” She leaned against the back of the couch casually, as if she had spent her life in his apartment. He resisted the temptation to grin, reminding himself of their topic of conversation. “Look, Owen and I were together for a while, and that was a big part of my life. And obviously, he’s still involved in some ways, but there’s nothing between us. I’m a part of Leo’s life, and that’s not going to change.”</p><p>“I’m not saying it has to. I just wish you had been honest with me, Amelia. There’s something between us, and I want it to continue, so I’m expecting you to be honest with me about things, even the uncomfortable ones.” Amelia scoffed, looking away from him for a moment.</p><p>“Really? Because I’ve only known you for two weeks. I’m not going to tell you about all of my demons and spill my darkest secrets to you.”</p><p>“That’s not what I-”</p><p>“I haven’t asked you to tell me about your terrible breakups, and I don’t expect you to share that now.”</p><p>“I don’t either. I just think that since it’s someone we work with, who I’ve been friendly with, you should’ve told me. I know you don’t want to open up about it, and that’s okay, but from what you’ve already told me, it sounds like he treated you like shit. I’m not going to judge why you’re still friends with him, but I want you to be honest with me about things like this.” He stepped towards her, shrinking the space between them. Her eyes darted away, looking anywhere besides at him. “I know it sounds stupid, like you said, we’ve only known each other for two weeks, but I care about you. More than I probably should care about a girl I met on Tinder, of all places.” A pause arose after he finished speaking, the sounds of their breathing suddenly feeling louder than before.</p><p>“I think we need to lose the Tinder label,” she murmured, placing a hand on his chest. “It’s holding us back.”</p><p>“Holding us back from what?” Amelia knew what she was about to do was stupid, but between the growing feeling in her chest and the staggering breathing she was experiencing as he stepped towards her again, she couldn’t help herself. He smiled, and for a moment she believed he could read her mind, knowing exactly how to make her more nervous. His hands fell to her waist and the space between their faces closed even more. “From this?” He finally closed the space between them, their lips meeting in a gentle kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he lifted her, carrying her over to the couch.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“So, do we just pretend we met at work or something?” He whispered, his fingers tracing up and down the contour of her back. They were laying on his couch, her body on top of his, a thin blanket covering their lower halves. His arms were wrapped around her, holding her close to him. It had only been less than a day since they were in a similar position, yet Amelia felt different this time. “You know, to forget the whole Tinder thing.”</p><p>“No, we just need to stop saying Tinder. Whenever I hear it, I think of a certain type of guy who certainly isn’t you. It’s holding me back from allowing myself to trust you, to be with you.” He hummed in agreeance, making eye contact as she rolled her head to the side. “I still don’t understand how a guy like you ends up on a dating app.”</p><p>“I wanted to meet people.”</p><p>“I’m not buying that, you met me and then stopped. Unless you’re still talking to other Tinder girls,” she breathed, suddenly feeling a little jealous, lifting her head from his chest.</p><p>“No, I deleted the app the other day.” A smile crept onto her face.</p><p>“Me too.” She laid her head back down and sighed. “But seriously, why were you on Tinder?”</p><p>“I wanted some sort of relationship, whatever form that was, and I didn’t want to have to wait until I met someone naturally.” He brushed the stray pieces of her hair to the side. “Don’t you have to work today?” </p><p>“I was thinking about calling in sick,” she confessed, lifting herself up. “I don’t really want to leave.” He grinned.</p><p>“Go get your phone and call Bailey.” He kissed her quickly. “And then, come right back here.”</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next few weeks seemed to blur through Amelia’s mind. A smirk in the hallway, their hands brushing as they left the trauma room, him bringing her a coffee after her night shift, so many little motions that made Amelia feel so noticed. One day, she’d trudged her way into the attendings’ lounge after a tough surgery and losing her patient, dreading having to wait for Meredith to get off work for a ride home. Yet, when she entered the lounge, ready to hang up her lab coat and go lay down, she saw Link closing his locker. She was surprised at how quickly he picked up on her upset, rushing over and wrapping his arms around her (as a co-worker). He drove her home that day, leaving her at Meredith’s house with the memory of his lips pressed softly against her forehead and his hand gently squeezing hers before she left his car. She’d taken a warm shower, wrapping herself up in her comforter before pressing the call button next to his name, holding the phone up to her ear. “Hi,” she whispered, pulling the soft blanket up to cover her arms.</p><p>“Hey, are you okay?” She smiled, hearing the evident concern in his voice.</p><p>“Yeah. I just wanted to say thank you for driving me home.”</p><p>“You said that in the car, you know,” Link laughed out, laying down in his bed. “Did you just want an excuse to call me?” Although he couldn’t actually see her, he could clearly imagine the blush creeping onto her cheeks.</p><p>“Maybe. I don’t want to sleep, but I’ll fall asleep without something to keep me awake. I knew you weren’t doing anything.”</p><p>“You don’t need an excuse to call me, you know. We’re two people who are…” His voice trailed off, the question of where they stood lingering between them. </p><p>“Two people who are what?” She couldn’t seem to avoid the sudden thumping in her chest, attempting to conceal the heavy breath that escaped from her lips as she spoke. She felt foolish referring to him as her ‘boyfriend’, they weren’t in high school, and she certainly didn’t want the awkwardness that came with that. He was silent for another moment before she spoke. “Two people who are dating,” Amelia suggested. Link hummed in agreeance. </p><p>“Right. And you don’t need an excuse to call someone you’re dating. So, you can call me anytime.” </p><p>“What are you doing?” </p><p>“Just relaxing. Probably going to order a pizza or something. I’m too exhausted to cook.” She smiled, clicking the icon to switch to a FaceTime call. He answered a moment later. “Why?”</p><p>“Wanted to see you.” She pulled the comforter up, covering her mouth with it.</p><p>“You look adorable, all wrapped up in the blankets.” He grinned as he could see the blush creeping onto her face, despite her attempts to hide her face with the blankets.</p><p>“It’s how I sleep when you’re not with me,” Amelia admitted. “No one to hold me. I’m all alone.” </p><p>“You should’ve come to my place. I miss you, too.”</p><p>“Woah, I didn’t say I missed you, did I?” She silently cursed the butterflies that flew through her stomach as he laughed, his hand brushing back his hair ever so casually. “I do, though.” She rolled over in bed to plug in her phone before asking about his day, listening as he rambled about one of the new interns, complaining about how they couldn’t even place a central line. He smirked as a soft yawn escaped her mouth.</p><p>“You should get some sleep,” he offered, glancing back and forth between her eyes and the blankets below her. “You look exhausted.”</p><p>“Mm, I probably should.” Another yawn followed by a moment of silence. “Alright, it’s time for me to sleep.”</p><p>“I’ll see you tomorrow?” She nodded. “Goodnight, Amelia.”</p><p>“Goodnight, Link.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Amelia pushed open the door to the on-call room, smiling as she saw Link asleep in one of the beds. She quietly walked over, taking off her shoes and laying down next to him. His eyes opened, smelling her hair pressed against his face, and he wrapped his arm around her. “Hi,” he whispered.</p><p>“Hi.” She put her hand under his, his fingers lacing through hers. “Don’t you have surgery soon?”</p><p>“Mhm, in an hour. I need to go prep, but now I really don’t want to leave.” She kissed his hand softly.</p><p>“I’ll walk with you, come on.” He groaned dramatically as Amelia sat up, putting her shoes back on and waiting for him to do the same. She tugged him gently towards the door, their hands interlocked as she opened the door, just to be met by another face. “Owen?”</p><p>“I was just going in, what’s-” Owen’s eyes darted between the two of them, their hands held together and her body pressed back against his. Amelia dropped Link’s hand quickly.</p><p>“It’s not, we were just, uh,” Amelia paused, biting the inside of her cheek. “I’m gonna go,” she pushed past Owen, who gave Link a glance that almost felt threatening to the orthopedic surgeon. Link followed behind her, grabbing her hand again. She shook it away. </p><p>“Amelia?”</p><p>“Do you know what that looks like? Us leaving the on-call room together? Owen probably thinks we were having sex,” she murmured, placing her head in her hands. “God, this is why I didn’t want to date someone I work with.”</p><p>“Are we really back on this? The whole Owen thing?”</p><p>“I didn’t mean it like that, Link. I just mean that now it’s going to be a bigger deal than it is. Everyone’s going to know. He’s gonna give me crap about it, and everyone’s going to be spreading rumors about us having sex in the on-call room-”</p><p>“Which we have done,” he added snarkily, a smirk playing on his face. She raised her eyebrows at him.</p><p>“Not the time, I’m being serious!” He stepped towards her, placing his hands on her shoulders.</p><p>“Okay, look. I will shut down every rumor I hear. If Owen gives you crap, you tell me. I’ll duel him for your hand, or whatever they do in movies when they’re fighting over a girl.” A small laugh escaped her mouth. “I’m serious, though. If you need me to do anything, let me know.” She pouted comically, leaning forward against his chest.</p><p>“Thank you,” she whispered. He kissed the top of her head.</p><p>“Of course.”</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So,” Amelia turned her head as she heard his voice, his hand resting on the small of her back, “my mom’s coming into town this weekend. And, I want you to meet her.” She raised her eyebrows, pulling him into the nearest supply closet.</p><p>“You want me to meet your mom?” Link nodded, taking her hands in his as he leaned against the closed door. “Isn’t that a bit soon?”</p><p>“We’ve been dating for two months, Amelia. I want you to meet her.” The neurosurgeon smiled softly, looking down at the floor in an attempt to hide the blush creeping across her cheeks.</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“She’s going to hate me,” Amelia muttered, rolling up the sleeves of her shirt in the mirror. Link walked up behind her and fixed her collar, placing a kiss on the top of her head.</p><p>“She’s not going to hate you, Amelia.”</p><p>“You can’t tell her we met on Tinder. She’ll think I’m some slutty Tinder girl who’s using you because you’re a doctor.”</p><p>“You’re a doctor, too. A better one than me, for that.” He smiled at the confidence that lit up on her face as he spoke, her lips turning upwards. “You can tell her all about how you’re a fancy neurosurgeon, the chief of neurosurgery at one of the best hospitals in the country.” She adjusted her blazer and turned around to face him.</p><p>“Thank you,” she whispered. He kissed her quickly before pulling back to check his watch.</p><p>“We need to get going. She might hate you if we’re late,” he joked, tugging at her hand. “C’mon.”</p><p>“Not funny.” The car ride to the restaurant was silent except for the noise of the radio and Link lightly singing along. He grabbed her hand over the console to comfort her, sensing her nerves from her silence. </p><p>“We’re here,” he finally spoke, pulling into a parking spot. “She already texted me that she’s inside.” Amelia turned to face him. As they entered the restaurant, an older woman stood up, pulling Link into a hug as they approached. “Hey, mom,” he greeted, stepping back. “This is Amelia.”</p><p>“It’s really nice to meet you, Mrs. Lincoln.” The woman waved her hand in dismissal before pulling Amelia into a hug.</p><p>“Please, call me Maureen.” Amelia smiled as she pulled back, moving to sit down in the chair Link had pulled out for her. “So, how long have you two been together?” Link placed a hand on Amelia’s back.</p><p>“About two months, now.” She was grateful as he spoke, taking a breath. “We met at work. Amelia’s a neurosurgeon.” Maureen raised her eyebrows in interest.</p><p>“Wow, and I thought Link was fancy! Where are you from?”</p><p>“Westchester, New York. And then, I went to Harvard for college and Johns Hopkins for medical school. I was in LA for a while, we actually realized that we lived in LA at the same time,” she motioned between her and Link. “Of course, we never met each other, which sounds absurd because we worked a mile away from each other. And then, I moved up here when my brother was leaving. I’ve been here for about 5 years, now.”</p><p>“Is your brother a neurosurgeon, too?” Link squeezed Amelia’s thigh under the table.</p><p>“You know, maybe we shouldn’t-” He suggested, sitting up in his chair.</p><p>“No, it’s fine.” Amelia placed her hand on top of his. “He was, but he passed away a few years ago.” Maureen closed her mouth, giving a quick apology before remaining silent. “It’s okay. I have a big family, 3 sisters, and almost all of my friends out here are like family to me.” The waitress came and took their orders, allowing them to move onto new conversation as they waited for their meals. Amelia felt herself relaxing as their lunch continued, beginning to open up more while they ate. </p><p>“Do we want dessert?” Link asked after the waitress had taken their meals.</p><p>“I’m fine, how about you?” The couple both shook their heads.</p><p>“Okay, you want to get going? We can give you that tour of the hospital I promised,” Link suggested, waiving over the waitress and asking for the check. He handed her his card. “It’s not going to be nearly as exciting as you think, though.”</p><p>“I want to see, anyway. Lead the way.” She followed them out of the restaurant, Amelia letting her sit in the front seat for the short drive over to the hospital. They pointed out various landmarks on the way, before arriving and beginning to walk through the lobby, just for a resident to run up to them.</p><p>“Dr. Shepherd, we need a consult in trauma 2,” she panted, resting for a moment.</p><p>“I’m not on call, Brody. Get Koracick or McKee.”</p><p>“Koracick is in surgery, McKee’s not answering his phone.” Amelia groaned, handing her jacket to Link.</p><p>“I’ll text you when I’m done, don’t wait up for me.” He waved goodbye to her before turning back to his mom.</p><p>“Alright, well there’s not too much to see, but I’ll show you the lounge, and we can stop by Amelia’s office.” He led her down the hallway, pointing out various rooms. “So, how do you like Amelia?” Maureen smiled up at him.</p><p>“She’s nice. She seemed a bit nervous, but I like her.”</p><p>“Yeah, she was really nervous to meet you. Let’s go down here,” he pointed down another hallway. “But I hope you like her.”</p><p>“Do you love her?” He stopped walking, pausing in the middle of the hallway.</p><p>“It’s only been two months, mom.” She raised her eyebrows at him and continued walking. </p><p>“I haven’t seen you like this about a girl. Not since you were in high school, Link.” He sighed, pushing open the door to the attendings’ lounge. </p><p>“Coffee?” He asked, walking over to the machine. He quickly filled a cup, stirring in some sugar and taking a sip.</p><p>“Don’t avoid my question, Link.” She took another cup from him. “Do you love her?”</p><p>“Why wouldn’t I?”</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You promise to call me more?” Link rolled his eyes sarcastically, taking his mother’s suitcase out of the car. “And you too, Amelia.”</p><p>“Of course, mom,” Link responded, setting the suitcase down. Amelia grinned from the sidewalk and nodded her head in agreeance. Maureen pulled the neurosurgeon into a quick hug, telling her something about texting and pictures. “You’re gonna miss your flight, mom.” She turned to face him, pulling her son into a quick hug.</p><p>“Tell her that you love her,” Maureen whispered, “Don’t let her get away.” She stepped back and grabbed her suitcase. “Alright, I’m going.” Amelia moved to stand next to Link as they waved goodbye, watching as his mom walked into the airport. </p><p>“What’d she say to you?” Amelia asked, looking up at him once she had entered the airport. “She made me promise to send her of us when you stop responding to her,” she laughed, placing her hand on Link’s chest. He froze for a moment while trying to think of what to say, his eyes avoiding hers and darting around their surroundings.</p><p>“Oh, uh, she just said something about my dad, not a big deal.” Amelia raised her eyebrows at him, and he knew she could tell that he was lying. “We should get going,” he muttered, walking over to the driver’s side of the car. </p><p>“Speaking of your dad, when do I get to meet him?” Link placed his hands on the wheel.</p><p>“Whenever he comes to visit. He lives in Massachusetts, not as easy of a trip.” The brunette hummed, reaching over to turn on the radio as he began to drive away. “Am I taking you back to Meredith’s?” She shook her head.</p><p>“No, Zola had a sleepover last night, and I don’t want to be in the house with a bunch of her friends. They just scream the whole time.” She glanced out the window. “Why don’t we go back to your place, and I can make us waffles?”</p><p>“Sounds like a plan.” The ride back to his apartment was quiet, Amelia wanting to ask about what his mom said, yet not wanting to push him. Her brain ran through every possibility, that his mom hated her, that she found out they met on Tinder and didn’t approve, that she didn’t think Amelia was good enough for her son. “You okay?” She sat up, realizing they had arrived in the parking lot.</p><p>“Yeah, just thinking.” She followed him into the elevator, quiet between them as they headed into his apartment. Amelia threw her coat onto the couch before pulling out the waffle maker along with various ingredients to start cooking.</p><p>“When do I get to meet your mom?” He asked, leaning back against the island in the kitchen.</p><p>“I don’t know. I don’t really talk to her.” Her back was to him as she spoke, stirring things together. “It’s not you. She never met Owen, either. She just hasn’t ever been supportive of my relationships, or frankly the life I live, so I don’t involve her in it.”</p><p>“Do you want her to be involved?”</p><p>“I guess? I used to care more, but now I’m almost used to it. It hurts sometimes. Especially because I know she’s involved in my sisters’ lives. She talks to Meredith, too.”</p><p>“And not you?” Amelia shook her head. “That just sounds-”</p><p>“Cruel? Selfish? Trust me. I’ve said it all before.” He noticed as her motions became more aggressive. “It’s whatever. I don’t care. I don’t need her, anyway.” Link took a step towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind.</p><p>“My mom likes you. So, anytime you need a mom, you can call her.” She was silent as she poured the batter into the machine, closing the lid and turning around to face him. “I’m serious.”</p><p>“Thank you,” she whispered. He grinned down at her.</p><p>“How about we have our waffles and then go take a shower? I know a good way to make you feel better,” Link teased, wrapping a strand of her hair around his finger. She smiled, leaning up to kiss him quickly.</p><p>“That sounds amazing.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You washed my clothes?” Amelia asked, holding a stack of folded clothes in her hand, a towel wrapped around her body. Link was standing in front of the sink washing dishes, his hair still damp from the shower.</p><p>“Yeah, you left them here a while ago. Figured you’d want them back sometime.” She raised her eyebrows, stepping back into the bedroom to change. She came out a minute later, scrunching her wet hair with the towel to dry it. “There are some of your other clothes on top of the dresser. You leave them here and take my clothes instead,” he joked, drying his hands with a towel. </p><p>“I was looking for this shirt,” she motioned down, “thought I lost it.”</p><p>“Yeah, you keep leaving your stuff around here. I just pick it up and put it on the dresser in case you need it some other time.”</p><p>“I can bring it back today, clear some space for you.” He shrugged, crossing his arms across his chest.</p><p>“It’s okay, it’ll just end up back here, right?” Amelia laughed nervously. “You practically live here, anyway.”</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“You come here after every shift. I think you’ve only been at Meredith’s once this past week.” He noticed the slight bit of panic on her face. “It’s fine, though. I don’t mind. I like having you here.”</p><p>“I just didn’t realize I’d spent so much time here,” she laughed nervously. </p><p>“Move in with me.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Move in with me, Amelia. You already spend most of your time here, just like you said.” She was silent, her eyes wide in surprise. “You can say no, but I want to take the next step with you.” Her stomach rolled, and she felt the urge to scream yes.</p><p>“I-”</p><p>“Okay, why don’t you take some time to think about it. Go home and talk with Meredith and Maggie. I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret, I realize asking you on the spot was probably not the best idea.” She smiled softly, looking down. “Take some time to think. Not too long, though.” Amelia nodded, even though she already knew what her answer was. </p><p>“I’ll call you soon.”</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Living with Amelia was definitely not what Link had expected. He’d come home to open cabinets, her clothes strewn over the floor of their bedroom, her phone loudly playing music as she took a shower. He’d pick up her clothes, throwing them into the hamper in the corner of the room, making her side of the bed left undone from the morning. Link had always used his apartment as a space to relax, somewhere to unwind, and think after a long day, whereas Amelia always had music playing, mumbling about how she was used to a loud house. He honestly didn’t mind, it was a perfect excuse for impromptu dance parties around the small space in the kitchen. He’d learned that she was not a morning person and often woke up late, causing their morning car rides to not always be the most pleasant occurrence. <br/>One particular day, she’d woken him up insisting they go and buy another dresser to match his so that they’d each have more space for their clothes. He’d pushed the cart up and down the dozens of aisles while she tossed in decorations and a new sheet set, whispering about how he wasn’t a single guy anymore and wasn’t allowed to live like one. <br/>He came home after a particularly long day and opened the door to see her dancing around the living room to whatever song was currently being overplayed on the radio as she folded their laundry. Amelia looked up to see him standing in the doorway, his lips pursed into a solemn line. She pouted and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck after placing a kiss on his lips. “Come dance with me,” she whispered, changing the song on her phone to a slower one as they swayed back and forth. The words had fallen from his mouth before he could process them, just the soft “I’m in love with you” whispered into her ear without his knowledge.</p><p>“What?” She stepped away, turning to face him. The music turned off and he frowned. “What did you say?” His brain ran through the last moments, trying to think of what happened to upset her.</p><p>“What? I said something?” Amelia shook her head.</p><p>“Nevermind,” she muttered, placing the folded clothes into the basket. Amelia hurried out of the living room, leaving Link alone with confusion across his face.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“And, he just said it! He didn’t even know that he said it.” Meredith raised her eyebrows.</p><p>“Do you love him?”</p><p>“I’m not an I-love-you type of person. I don’t think I said it to Owen more than a few times.” She rolled her eyes as her sister laughed at her. “Don’t laugh at me. That’s not fair. It’s only been a few months, too.” </p><p>“Sit down,” Meredith instructed, patting the space on the couch next to her. Amelia slumped down, sighing dramatically as she did so. “Do you love him?”<br/>“I mean, yeah, but I always feel things sooner than I should. And if I tell him, it’s real.”</p><p>“It’s already real, Amelia. You live together. You talk about him every waking moment. I think you’re pretty serious.” The brunette crossed her arms over her chest, rolling her head to the side to look at Meredith. “You and I know better than anyone how easy it is to lose people, how soon and unexpected it can happen. So, I think that if you love him, you should tell him.” Amelia was silent. “Now, you can either go back home and tell him that, or you can make mac and cheese for the kids. They keep complaining whenever I make it.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Amelia pushed open the door, dropping her key into the bowl. She saw Link standing in front of the stove, mixing something in a pot. “Hey,” he greeted. “I’m making pasta if you want some.” She was silent as she walked towards him, placing her hand on the back of his neck and pushing his face down towards hers. She kissed him hard, taking him by surprise as he let out a small laugh. He kissed her back, pulling away a few moments later. “What is that about?” Amelia removed her hand from his neck, her hands falling onto his chest.</p><p>“I love you, I’m in love with you, whatever it is. Okay?” He smiled at her. “I don’t say that very often. I’m not a feelings type of person, but I do. Love you.” He was still silent as he brushed back her hair, cupping her face in his hands. “Say something,” she whispered, looking up at him.</p><p>“I love you. You already knew that, though.” Amelia nodded slowly and kissed him again, more gently this time. She pulled away when her breath ran out, taking a deep breath and sighing. Their eyes locked together, wide grins spread across both of their faces. The sound of the water spilling over the pot broke the moment, Link whispering a curse and turning off the stove. He strained the pasta, leaving it to sit in the sink. “Well,” he muttered, running his hand over his forehead, “that ruined the moment.” She giggled, watching him grab bowls from the cabinet. </p><p>“Let’s eat later,” she suggested. He put them down on the counter and stepped back towards her, resuming their previous position. “For the record, I didn’t mean to freak out when you said it. I just wasn’t expecting it.”</p><p>“For the record, I didn’t even mean to say it then. I’ve been thinking about it for some time now, but I didn’t want to freak you out.” Their lips met again and Link wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up to sit on the counter. He stood between her legs, pulling his face away from hers after a soft kiss. “When my mom came, she knew I loved you. She wanted me to tell you, I’ll have to text her.” Amelia smiled, holding onto the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer.</p><p>“Later. Right now, you show me how much you love me.”</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She knew the day would come eventually. He’d mentioned it when they started dating and she knew the day was coming closer, but now, sitting on their bed and watching as he packed clothes into a suitcase, she felt upset. He was leaving that night, as the baseball season was starting, and the Mariners had their first away game the next week. It’d been easy to handle when practices first started, Link was just gone for longer than she was used to, but she still got to see him. “It’s only a week,” he told her, folding his shirts neatly, “I’ll be back before you know it.”</p><p>“Yeah, but then it’s another week, and another week after that.” She pouted her lip out, grabbing one of the shirts and holding it to her chest. “I’m gonna be all alone.” He laughed, taking the shirt from her.</p><p>“I’ll call you every night, I promise. You can even go stay at Meredith’s if you want.” He shut the suitcase, zipping it closed. “You’re still driving me to the airport, right?” She nodded, placing her hands behind her and leaning back onto them.</p><p>“Yup.” Link watched as she signed, frowning at the suitcase he placed on the ground.</p><p>“What’s wrong?”</p><p>“I just feel like we’re finally in a good place, living together, spending all of our time together, and now you’re leaving.” </p><p>“I’m not really leaving, just going away for a little bit.” She was still frowning as he sat down on the bed next to her, reaching over to hold her hand. “You can come to some away games with me. Get away from Seattle, spend the week in a hotel room,” his voice trailed off as she smiled. </p><p>“I’d like that.” He leaned over, placing his hand under her chin and tilting her head upwards until their lips met in a slow kiss. “You know,” she whispered, placing her hand on the hem of his shirt, “we have a few hours before we need to leave.”</p><p>“Plenty of time.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Amelia spent the first hour without him cleaning the apartment, fixing the mess that had been created by his last-minute packing. She remade the bed and pulled on one of his sweatshirts, grinning after seeing herself in the mirror, her figure completely consumed by the fabric. She waited another two hours before calling him just to receive no answer, leaving her feeling slightly dejected and she resorted to laying on the couch and reading. He called her back an hour later.</p><p>“I miss you,” she admitted as she answered the phone, curling into the couch and wrapping the worn blanket around her body. He smiled through the phone screen and splashed some water from the bathroom sink onto his face. </p><p>“I’ve been gone for a few hours, and you already miss me?” She grinned at the sight of the smirk on his face, watching as he picked up his toiletry bag and set it down on the counter. “Are you wearing my hoodie?” She nodded as a blush crept onto her face.</p><p>“I was going to do laundry, but then I found this one, and it smells like you. I didn’t want to wash it, not yet. I need something to hold onto when you’re not here,” she muttered, tugging at the strings of the hoodie. “How’d practice go?”</p><p>“It was fine, but the team’s nervous. I had more work than normal.” He washed his face quickly, drying it with the towel. “Sorry I missed your call earlier. We were just leaving from practice.”</p><p>“It’s okay.”</p><p>“How are your first few hours alone going?” Amelia shrugged, pulling the sleeves of his sweatshirt down.</p><p>“Lonely. Angry that you made me fall in love with you and then you just leave me,” she joked, standing up from the couch. “Pizza’s here. Give me a minute.” She set down the phone to go answer the door, paying for the food and returning to the kitchen.</p><p>“Are you going to get takeout every night?”</p><p>“Probably. I have no motivation to cook anything.” Amelia opened the box, sitting down at the kitchen island, and placing it onto the counter. </p><p>“Also, I didn’t leave you.”</p><p>“No, you just made me feel like a teenage girl. I can’t even go a few hours without missing my boyfriend.” She took a bite of pizza. “Did you have a fancy dinner?” Link shook his head, walking out of the bathroom in his hotel room.</p><p>“Nah, we had pizza, too. The staff gets to eat whatever we want during practices.”</p><p>“Mm, you’re a fancy Major League doctor and we have the same dinner.” She smiled as he pulled off his shirt. “Are you going to strip for me now?” He shook his head and laughed, his hair falling out of place before he brushed it back.</p><p>“Some other time, I need to go shower. Should I call you after, or are you going to be asleep?” Amelia paused for a moment in thought, closing the lid of the pizza box. </p><p>“I’ll probably be sleeping, I have to work in the morning. Send me your schedule, so I know when I can call you. I need some semblance of our relationship to hold on to.”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>“Come home soon,” she whispered, laying back into the bed.</p><p>“I’ll be home before you know it.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She had forgotten to mention to Link her complete lack of direction and ability to find anything. He’d texted her what he’d thought to be detailed instructions on how to find him, yet she had walked around the foreign stadium three times and still hadn’t found him. Amelia silently cursed the team merchandise store as she passed it again, staring down at her phone and attempting to make some sense of the directions he’d sent her. “Finally,” she’d muttered, seeing the door labeled ‘Staff’ and pushing it open. She headed down the stairs, excited to be able to see Link soon. They’d been talking less than Amelia would like over the past few weeks as the number of away games seemed to endlessly pile up. When he was home, it was only for a day or two, during which their time was always interrupted by one of their work schedules. The brunette pushed open the third door down the hallway as he had instructed, smiling at the sight of her boyfriend standing in the middle of the room. Standing, with a girl’s arms wrapped around his neck as they hugged, his smile wide. Amelia froze in placed and frowned. </p><p>“Amelia!” He called a minute later, letting go of the blonde woman he was embracing a minute before. Link quickly walked over to Amelia and wrapped his arms around her. “I almost thought you weren’t coming,” he whispered, kissing the side of her head.</p><p>“Yeah, I got a little lost,” she laughed, brushing her hair behind her ear. “Who was that?”</p><p>“Who?” Amelia motioned to the woman, who was now talking with one of the players. “Oh,” he breathed, running his hand through his hair, which was longer than Amelia had remembered. “That’s May, she’s dating one of the guys. She comes to every game, so we’ve become good friends.” Amelia nodded with her lips pursed together tightly.</p><p>“Good friends,” she whispered to herself, looking away from him.</p><p>“Everything okay?” </p><p>“Yeah, yeah. I’m good. Uh, do you wanna show me around?” Link flashed her a toothy smile, reaching down to take her hand. </p><p>“Okay, I’ll show you what they call my office. It’s not very official, though.” He led her down a few hallways, all of which looked the same to her. She was tugged through a door into a spacious room, one she had only seen through the phone. “Here it is,” he announced, motioning with his hand as if he was presenting the room to her.</p><p>“It’s so much bigger in person,” she mumbled, walking over to the couch. She smiled at the sight of a throw blanket from their apartment draped over the back of it. </p><p>“Yeah, I haven’t made it very ‘homey’ yet. I was honestly hoping if you would help with that.” He walked towards her, sitting onto the grey fabric of the couch and holding his arms out for her. “I wanted to ask if you’d start coming to more games. Or even practices.” She sat down on top of his legs.</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“I’ve barely seen you over the past few weeks, and my schedule’s not going to get any lighter as the season goes on.” He pulled her body into his, frowning at the tension she was holding in her body. “What’s going on?” Amelia sighed, picking at a loose fabric on the couch.</p><p>“You never have time to call, and you’re always working. I never get to see you, and I finally show up to see you hugging some skinny blonde girl,” she muttered, avoiding his eyes. “When you do come home, you seem annoyed with me. We don’t have sex. We just go to sleep.” Link cocked his head to the side as she pulled away from him.</p><p>“I’m sorry, Amelia, this job is more work than I thought. Whenever I come home, I just want to collapse into our bed. I mean, the hotel beds are comfortable, but they definitely don’t have you,” he joked, a laugh falling from his mouth. She shrugged her shoulders. “That’s why I want you to come to more games. So I can see you when I’m not completely exhausted.”</p><p>“What about that girl? The one you said was dating one of the players?”</p><p>“May? What about her?” She wanted to smack him at his response, hating the fact that he wasn’t understanding.</p><p>“You were hugging her. Tightly.”</p><p>“Because she’s my friend?” The alarm on his phone rang. “Crap, the game’s starting soon.” She sighed in disappointment as he stood up, his signature grin staring down at her. “You’re not allowed to be in the box with us, but I’ll show you where to wait. I’ll find you as soon as I’m not busy, I promise.” He held out his hand for her to take, yet she ignored it once she stood up. </p><p>“It’s fine,” she lied. Her arms crossed over her chest, and she ignored the frown on his face before following him out of his office. </p><p>“Okay, you can wait here. I’ll be right through that door,” he pointed towards the doors at the end of the hallway, “and I’ll come and get you soon. We’ll talk, okay?” Amelia simply nodded, waving a silent goodbye as he turned to walk down the hallway. She pulled out her phone, enthralling herself with texting her sisters.</p><p>“You’re Amelia, right?” She looked over to see a woman, more specifically that woman, standing next to her. Amelia forced a smile and nodded.</p><p>“Yeah, that’s me.” Her hands fell to her pockets.</p><p>“Link was really excited for you to come today. He kept telling us all about you. I was half convinced you weren’t real,” she joked, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. Amelia winced at the mention of her absence.</p><p>“Yeah, I work full time at Grey-Sloan, so I can’t really travel everywhere with him.” May shrugged.</p><p>“I know, you’re a fancy neurosurgeon. Atticus talks about it all the time, how smart you are.” Her eyes trailed towards the doors. “Most of the girls dating someone on the team don’t work. We’re like a built-in pep squad.”</p><p>“Hm,” Amelia muttered, busying herself with a hangnail on her thumb. She zoned out as May continued to talk beside her, rambling about the team. The doors opened a few minutes later and Link rushed through, smiling at her.</p><p>“Hey, Amelia. May,” he greeted, taking Amelia’s hand. “Mind if I steal her for a bit?” He asked jokingly. The blonde woman nodded, giving a sarcastic response that Amelia didn’t care to listen. Link led her back to his office, closing the door behind him. “May ambushed you, sorry. I told them all to leave you alone for a while, but they clearly didn’t get the message.”</p><p>“They?”</p><p>“Everyone’s girlfriends.” She nodded slowly at him. “So, I know that you saw me hugging her, and with everything going on between us, you probably saw it as something else, which I get. But, I promise you that she’s just a friend.” Amelia sighed quietly with relief, trusting his words more than she expected to. “They’re nothing like you. They all blindly follow their boyfriends around, which is fine, but I don’t expect you to do that.”</p><p>“She was nice,” Amelia interjected. “I wanted her to be a bitch, but she was really nice. She called you Atticus,” she cringed, smiling as he laughed.</p><p>“Yeah, her real name is Margaret, and we both hate our actual names.” Link reached out for her hands, holding them both and leaning back against the closed door. “If we weren’t in the middle of a game, I would totally have sex with you right now,” he admitted, pulling her closer. “But, I’m on a schedule right now, so this will have to do.” Amelia let out a small laugh as he tugged her towards him, their lips meeting in a quick moment filled with passion. “I need to go back,” he whispered, loosening his grip around her waist. She kissed him again quickly.</p><p>“I’ll be in here. Waiting.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Amelia spent the rest of the game waiting in his office, tracing her fingers over the stitches on the couch and the soft fabric of the blanket hung over the back. She smiled when she saw a photo sitting on his desk, taken after one of their first dates and now framed in a solid black frame. Eventually, Amelia ended up back on the couch, draping the blanket over her body and snuggling into the cushions below her.</p><p>The door to his office pushed open hours later, and Link burst through, immediately stopping in his tracks as he saw her asleep. He quietly closed the door and walked over to the couch. “Amelia,” he whispered, kneeling beside her, gently placing his hand on top of hers.</p><p>“Mm,” she muttered, pulling her hand away to rub her eyes. “Did I sleep through the whole game?” He nodded, laughing silently. “Did they win? The Mariners?”</p><p>“Yup, and now everyone’s going out, but I told them I’m not.” She raised her eyebrows as she sat up, stretching her arms out. </p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Because now, I’m going to take you home. So we can have our own time.” Amelia smirked at him, pulling the blanket off of her body and returning it to the back of the couch. “Did you drive here?”</p><p>“No, Mer dropped me off. We can take your car home.” Link took her hand, helping her to stand up. “You’re all done?” He nodded.</p><p>“We always go to dinner or a bar after games, celebrate whatever happened that day.” She slipped on her shoes, smiling as he handed her the jacket she’d thrown on his desk.</p><p>“I like the photo,” she commented, pointing towards the picture of them.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m trying to make it feel homier in here.” He placed his hands on her shoulders, squeezing lightly. “Okay, you ready? I have plans for us, and I’d like to get started.” Amelia raised her eyebrows.</p><p>“Lead the way.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“How many games? I’m not turning into a superfan-girlfriend,” Amelia muttered, her fingertips tracing the contour of Link’s chest.</p><p>“I don’t know. I just want to see you more.” She glanced up at him and smiled once their eyes met. “Why is it so cold in here?”</p><p>“I turn the thermostat down while you aren’t home. And then, I cuddle up with all of the blankets and pillows.” He laughed and brushed back the strand of hair covering her eye. “Okay, so how about I come to every other home game?”</p><p>“You won’t get bored?”</p><p>“Probably, but I’ll just wait in your office and do my own work. I’m busy too, you know.” Link raised his eyebrows and looked up at the ceiling.</p><p>“Really? Surely you’re not doing anything important other than being my girlfriend,” he joked. Amelia giggled, attempting to contain her laughter when Link kissed her. She sighed softly as his hand slipped under the covers. </p><p>“Link,” she moaned, sitting up to straddle him, soon pulling away abruptly as his phone rang beside them. He reached over to grab it, and Amelia frowned at him. “Can’t it wait?” She whispered, feeling his finger on her lips to silence her a moment later.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, I can be there in ten. Okay. Keep him there, don’t do anything.” He pushed her off of him, quickly standing up and pulling his clothes on. Link hung up the phone and shoved it in his pocket.</p><p>“What’s going on?”</p><p>“One of the guys is feeling sick. I have to go to the restaurant. Apparently, they can’t even get him to stand up.” She rolled over in the bed, grabbing her shirt from the floor.</p><p>“I’ll come with you, give me a minute.” They rushed out of the apartment, and Amelia mumbled something about their quiet getting ruined. The car ride was silent, and she could sense his nerves, reaching over to take his hand as he drove. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>“I’m worried about him, and I also feel like crap. We were supposed to have one night to ourselves, and now-”</p><p>“Don’t worry about it. We can always find another night. I get it. I’m a doctor too, you know.” His frown cracked into a smile at the mention of their joke from earlier, calming his nerves as he pulled into the parking lot.</p><p>“Alright. Let’s go.” He took her hand outside of the car, leading her through the doors of the restaurant and towards the table his coworkers were sitting at. “Hey, what’s going on?” She stood back as Link spoke to them, examining the player as best he could in the restaurant. </p><p>“I honestly just think it’s a bad case of food poisoning. Did you eat anything bad?” The man shook his head, and Amelia assumed he was telling Link something. Link turned to her a moment later. “I need to head back to the stadium. All he ate was the team meal today, so I’m going to grab the leftovers just in case he gets worse, and we need to take him to the hospital.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I can drop you back off at the apartment before I go.”</p><p>“No, it’s fine. I can come with you.” She slipped her hand into his and squeezed it lightly, hoping to ease some of his anxiety. She rarely saw him like this, he was always so composed, but she also knew that they were at the height of the season. He’d told her earlier that everything was going perfectly this season, that the team was playing the best they ever had. “Let’s go, Link.” He nodded, leading her back towards the car. “I can drive.”</p><p>“It’s okay-”</p><p>“I got it, Link. You need to relax, your nervousness is making me nervous, too.” He complied, sitting in the passenger seat, giving her directions to the stadium. Link led her through the stadium, and Amelia couldn’t help but feel annoyed at how quickly he navigated the area. “It smells like dude in here,” she muttered when he pushed the door open, flicking on the light of the locker room.</p><p>“It’s probably bad that I don’t smell anything anymore.” Link dropped the keys onto a bench, opening a door on the side. “I’ll be back in a second.” The neurosurgeon sat down, glancing around the spacious room. Her body tensed up once her eyes caught sight of something across from her in a locker. </p><p>A small orange bottle, filled with the sight of something she’d avoided for the past few years.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW: Addiction, Mentions of Drug Use</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Link?” Her voice wavered, and Amelia doubted that he would’ve heard her due to the softness of her voice. She gripped the edges of the bench as if holding onto it for life. “Link?” Her voice was stronger this time, yet still too quiet for him to hear her, wherever he went. She turned to look back at the closed door he had walked through, not knowing how far back it went. How far away he was, how long it would take him to come and save her. Amelia’s eyes darted back to the locker. She bit the inside of her cheek, gently rocking back and forth on the bench.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She stood up, walked towards the locker, and picked up the bottle with shaky hands. ‘It’s just a bottle,’ she thought, and she unscrewed the cap. She almost expected something to happen once it was open; someone to stop her, scream ‘No!’ and slap the bottle out of her hands. She waited.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Nothing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The neurosurgeon turned the bottle, reading the prescription label on the side. Opiates. ‘Of course,’ she muttered, holding the bottle up to the light. Nearly full. It was almost subconscious, the movement of her hand, tilting the bottom of the container upwards. The pills stumbled out, two of them falling into the palm of her hand. She set the bottle down into the metal locker, rolling the small pills between her fingers.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No. She gripped the bench tighter, pushing the thoughts out of her head. But, what would it feel like? To feel one more high? Certainly, it was different. She was older now, she understood addiction more, and she thought that it wouldn’t get dark as it had previously. She understood what it would mean to walk over to the bottle and just take </span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span> out. It would ruin years of sobriety, years of recovery. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But what if she did it? The bottle was right there, practically staring her down, begging her to approach. No one would notice one pill missing. She was sure the baseball players didn’t pay enough attention to that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She brought a pill up to her eyes, holding it between her thumb and pointer fingers, staring it down. The indent in the middle, the dust of powder that had rubbed off onto her fingers. The feeling was too familiar to her liking. It was as if just yesterday she had been locked up in that stupid hotel room with him, planning a future they’d never have. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>All it would take is one movement.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Link would come in and find her. He’d be disappointed; everyone would be. Maggie would cry. Meredith would shake her head and ignore it. Richard would play watch-dog over her. Bailey would suspend her. Tom would crack some terrible joke about it all. Derek would hate her if he was alive, if he could see her right now.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shuddered, her knuckles turning white as her grip on the bench tightened. “Link!” She tried again, practically crying out for him. There was a moment of silence before footsteps came sounding closer. The door shoved open.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? Are you okay?” She sighed in relief, turning back to him. “Amelia? What’s wrong?” Her face was covered with something he couldn’t quite place his finger on, maybe fear? He’d only ever seen her truly scared once before, when there was a large spider in the corner of their room. He’d laughed at her panic before killing it, receiving the silent treatment from her for the rest of the night. But now, it was different. He could normally read her well, but between her silence, and the expression on her face, he had no idea what was going on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Link,” she muttered, dropping her eyes to the floor. He stepped towards her, placing the container of the leftovers on the ground behind him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s going on, Amelia?” Link sat down next to her slowly, placing his hand on her leg. “Are you okay?” Her eyes drifted back towards the locker, and she slowly lifted her finger to point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The pills,” she whispered. “They’re just there.” He looked over. She had briefly mentioned her past with addiction, and he never pushed her to say more than she seemed to be comfortable with. He quickly stood up, closing the locker door and clicking the lock closed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shit, they’re really careless with their meds and stuff,” he apologized, rubbing his forehead with his hand. He walked back over to her and sat down. She kept staring at the locker, flinching slightly when he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay, Amelia.” He pulled her body into his, wrapping his arms around her tightly and kissing her head. Amelia let out a sob, gripping the fabric of his shirt, burying her face into it. His heart sank at the pain in her cries and he held onto her tighter, practically afraid she would break into a million pieces if he let go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His phone rang in his pocket. He ignored it, the first and second times. The third time, he gently removed his arm from around her, holding her tighter with the other arm. “Hello?” He spoke softly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Link, are you with Amelia?” Meredith’s voice was loud in the silence of the locker room, and he felt Amelia move below him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m with her now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She hasn’t answered her phone. Is everything okay? She was supposed to come over tonight.” Her head lifted away from his chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, everything’s okay. We’re at the stadium. I didn’t get to hook her phone up to the wifi, it probably doesn’t have service down here.” Meredith sighed through the phone before saying goodbye to Link. He set the device behind him and looked down at her. “What can I do?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I almost walked over there and took one,” her voice wavered, her chin quivering slightly. “I imagined myself doing it so easily, and it terrified me,” she whispered. He smoothed her hair with one hand as the other rested on her cheek.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re okay. I’ve got you now. I’m here.” He spoke between kisses placed on her forehead, gently rubbing his thumb up and down her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Amelia choked, refusing to meet his eyes, the ones filled with concern. “This is ridiculous. I’m sorry-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t. Don’t apologize.” He slid backward on the bench, creating space between them. “Stop me if I’m saying too much, okay?” She nodded slowly while picking at a hangnail on her finger. “I know what addiction is like. One of my friends in college, he struggled really bad. He got sober over and over again, saying that it was real every single time. And I didn’t know what to do. I was in med school while he was struggling, they were shoving information down my throat about the amazing power of drugs, how any problem can be solved with these tiny little things called opiates.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I got a letter in the mail from his mother. It was after he had been clean for two years, the longest he’d ever been clean, so we all thought it was real. He had surgery and overdosed on the meds they gave him. Just like that, he was gone. It all happened so quickly, and I was pissed. I didn’t get it, how he could just throw away years of sobriety. So I went back to school the next semester and took every course they offered on addiction until I could comprehend what had happened.” She finally looked up at him, now seeing the tears in his own eyes. “Anyway. What I’m trying to say is that it’s not ridiculous. I would so much rather hold you and drive you to meetings than have to go to your funeral, Amelia.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna be more careful, too. I’ll make sure the guys are conscious of the meds they’re taking and what can happen.” He reached over to cup her face with his hand. “I don’t know what exactly to do to help, but anything you need, I’ll do.” She leaned forward, resting her forehead against his.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” she whispered, closing her eyes, a stray tear squeezing out. “I love you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You don’t have to stay here. You can go to work, Link.” He brushed a strand of her hair back, frowning as she flipped to face away from him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed in their dark room, attempting to comfort Amelia after yesterday’s occurrences. He’d driven home afterward as Amelia stared out the window, her body shifted away from him. She was silent once they arrived home, only muttering a soft ‘Goodnight’ before falling asleep. </p><p>“I called in sick. No game today. Nico’s covering for me at practice.” He heard her sigh softly. “Can I get you something? Tea? Something to eat?”</p><p>“No, thanks.” He paused, waiting for her to say something more. Nothing. Link rubbed his hand up and down her leg gently, standing up and leaving the bedroom. The kitchen sink was filled with dirty dishes. He laughed to himself, knowing Amelia hated doing the dishes and probably hadn’t done them in his absence. He made a silent vow to spend more time at the apartment and help her clean up. Link busied himself cleaning various spaces in the apartment, opening up the curtains to let some of the morning light in, washing and putting away dishes before beginning to make breakfast. She came out of the bedroom an hour later, a blanket wrapped around her like a shawl.</p><p>“There are some leftover waffles in the fridge if you want some,” he spoke from the couch, scrolling through an article on his computer.</p><p>“Thank you,” she whispered, opening the refrigerator door. She sat down across from him on the couch with a plate of waffles loaded with syrup. </p><p>“You okay?”</p><p>“Not really,” Amelia admitted, shoving a forkful of food into her mouth. </p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“I don’t want to talk about it, Link.” He sighed. </p><p>“You can’t just shut me out. You haven’t actually spoken to me since we got home last night.”</p><p>“I’m embarrassed you had to see me like that. Embarrassed that it even happened.” He closed his computer and set it down on the coffee table. “I know you said you didn’t mind, but I didn’t want you to have to know that part of my life.” Link sat up.</p><p>“I want to know every part of your life, Amelia. Even the bad parts.”</p><p>“Well, maybe I don’t want to share the bad parts.” She snapped back, dropping the fork onto the plate. He cringed at the sound. “Sorry. There are just a lot of terrible things that have happened in my life that I don’t like to talk about with anyone. There are a lot of things no one knows. Things I don’t want to share, especially not with someone I met on Tinder, of all places.” Link raised his eyebrows.</p><p>“Really? I thought we moved past the Tinder thing.”</p><p>“It’s always going to be part of our relationship, whether we want to ignore it or not. You’re not someone I met naturally, and I’m not inclined to share certain things with you. Especially when you’re gone ninety percent of the time.” She muttered. He scoffed in disbelief, crossing his arms over his chest. </p><p>“You knew that I was taking this job when we started dating. It was always something that was going to happen and you agreed to be with me, knowing it would be difficult to manage.”</p><p>“I didn’t think it would go this far. I don’t plan ahead. I just live as things come. So, I didn’t think it would be something I had to worry about.” Amelia stood up, dropping the blanket that was wrapped around her shoulders.</p><p>“Where are you going?”</p><p>“To Meredith’s house. I don’t want to spend my day off fighting.” She dropped the plate into the empty sink, grabbing her phone and bag before slamming the door on her way out. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“And you just left?” Amelia nodded, shrugging her shoulders.</p><p>“It’s like, every time things seem good, something happens.” Meredith laughed, pulling out some bowls from the cabinet. </p><p>“What happened last night? At the stadium?” The neurosurgeon sighed, watching as her sister spooned mac and cheese into the bowls.</p><p>“We had to stop by the locker room, and one of the guys left his meds out in the open. I just got really freaked out, and I was embarrassed that Link had to see that. I mean, I moved to Seattle for a fresh start. And everyone knows about my past, but it wasn’t just my past last night.”</p><p>“You know how addiction works, Amelia. It’s not something you can just shove aside and forget.”</p><p>“I know, but I just didn’t want him to see that. I don’t let you and Maggie see the bit of panic I feel when someone leaves a bottle open on the table.” They moved towards the kitchen table, bringing the bowls over to the kids in the living room. Amelia slumped down into a chair at the table. “And now, he wants to have some big conversation about it all. Just so he can leave this weekend and ignore me when he gets back.”</p><p>“I mean if you told him all of this-”</p><p>“I tried! He’s just filled with the whole ‘we can get through anything’ mindset, and it’s ridiculous. He doesn’t understand that I’m not going to tell him everything.” Meredith wiped her mouth with a napkin.</p><p>“Do I need to kick Zola out of your room?”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“So what does it matter if we met on a dating app? It doesn’t change the way I feel about her, and it certainly doesn’t mean that our relationship is less real.” The beer bottle clinked as he placed it onto the glass table. Jo raised her eyebrows.</p><p>“You’re mad. It’s weird.”</p><p>“What am I supposed to do if she won’t talk to me? She just walks out and runs away. And Meredith? Meredith always has a place for her. She can just leave whenever she wants.” Link groaned dramatically. “I’m just trying to be there for her.”</p><p>“You’re never here, though.” He looked up. “This is the first time I’ve gotten to spend time with you since the season started. You can’t blame her for being annoyed about that.”</p><p>“And when I am here, she says she has to work.” Jo picked up his empty bottle, grabbing them both full ones from the fridge.</p><p>“So maybe it just doesn’t work, then.”</p><p>“But I want it to work. I love her. That’s not something I feel very often.”</p><p>“Except for Bronwyn,” Jo muttered, receiving an eye roll from Link. “You just have to learn to respect her boundaries. I didn’t tell Alex about Paul for years. I didn’t want him to know about that part of my life. I’m sure Amelia is doing the same thing.”</p><p>“I can’t help her if she won’t talk to me. We’re in a relationship. She should know that our lives are intertwined and that there’s no point in trying to avoid it.” Jo’s finger pointed, her eyebrows raised as if she had an idea.</p><p>“You know who you should talk to.”</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>“Amelia.”</p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He was hesitant to walk into the apartment after seeing her car in the parking lot. He certainly didn’t expect to see her, not when he was a bit hungover and honestly just wanted to collapse onto the bed. His feet suddenly felt heavier as he trudged up the stairs and pushed the door open after unlocking it. Amelia was sitting on the couch, reading something on her phone. He immediately noticed the pack-n-play set up beside her and the toddler sitting in it.</p><p>“Crap, I didn’t think you were coming back, sorry.” She stood up from the couch. “Owen’s sick. He asked me to take Leo, and I didn’t want to bring him to Mer’s in case he’s sick, too.” She rubbed her forehead. </p><p>“I’m just going to grab some clothes, and I’ll be out of your hair.” He quickly retreated into the bedroom, shoving clothes into a bag. Amelia appeared in the doorway a minute later.</p><p>“You don’t have to leave.” Link raised his eyebrows at her.</p><p>“Right, that’s your thing. Leaving whenever you’re annoyed.” The neurosurgeon scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. </p><p>“I was pissed. I said some things I didn’t mean, why won’t you just let me talk?”</p><p>“You realize we had this exact argument a few months ago? Fighting about Owen. I know that I have some way to come in terms of respecting your boundaries, but this isn’t a one-time thing, Amelia. You don’t share parts of your life with me, and when I ask, I get shut down. You say that we met on Tinder, and therefore you’re not going to share things with me.” </p><p>“If I’m recalling correctly, that argument was solved. I went out of my comfort zone to tell you about Owen, even though I didn’t want to.”</p><p>“Yes, and you also said that you would do a better job of being honest with me about things.” He set the duffle bag down on the bed and stood up to face her. “Look, Amelia. If you’re not in this relationship, I’m done. I can’t keep trying to love you when you won’t let me.” She froze in place.</p><p>But apparently, there’s just some fundamental part of you that can’t love or be loved.</p><p>Amelia shook her head. “No,” she said, “you don’t get to tell me that. You don’t get to tell me that I’m unlovable.” She grabbed a pillow from the bed, throwing it at his chest. “You don’t get to put this on me. Just because I don’t want to share things doesn’t mean I can’t be love.” He looked over at her to see her standing with her arms over her chest, biting at the nail on her thumb while a tear dripped down her face. Her eyes were glossy, and she looked away from him.</p><p>“Amelia. That’s not what I meant.” He took a step towards her. “Let me restart.” Link cleared his throat and took a breath. “I’m saying that you keep pushing me away. I want to move forward because I love you, and I want to be in this relationship.” He reached out, placing his hand on her shoulder. She flinched and stepped back. “Amelia,” his voice was softer, almost pleading with her.</p><p>“Owen told me a while ago that I couldn’t be loved. I didn’t think you would ever say that.”</p><p>“That’s not what I meant, Amelia.” She turned away at the sound of mumbling from the living room, quickly walking out of their bedroom. Leo was standing up, speaking in his loudest baby-talk, asking for Amelia. She scooped him up into her arms, facing the wall when she heard footsteps behind her, knowing Link had followed her out here. “I didn’t mean that. I spoke wrong. I wasn’t thinking about what I was saying,” he pleaded.</p><p>“You still said it. Whether or not you meant to, you said it.” She sniffled softly. “I think I’m going to go.”</p><p>“Stay, please. If you leave, we’re not going to work this out. It’ll just be us avoiding each other and running out when we have an argument.” </p><p>“I’m not comfortable being here.” Amelia picked up her bag from the couch. “Look, I’m not exactly proud of my past. I don’t tell you things because you’ll look at me differently. I don’t want your sympathy because of what I’ve been through. I just want you to know me, which you do.” Leo tugged at her hair as she folded up the pack-n-play. “I was snarky yesterday. I’m sorry for that. But-”</p><p>“Are you breaking up with me?” Link had never understood the idea of silence being loud, but at that moment, he knew. He wished she would say something, anything, but she just looked between Leo and the floor. “Amelia.” She stepped towards the door and he ran towards it, blocking the door with his body.</p><p>“Let me go.”</p><p>“No, I’m not letting you do this.” She rolled her eyes at him, attempting to reach for the doorknob. “Amelia, you are lovable. I love you. It’s difficult, you push me away, but I do love you. We’re both not perfect. I’m always gone for work and have trouble with not knowing things, and you don’t like to share things. But we can fix this. Together.” Her movements were slow as she put the pack-n-play back down, quickly placing Leo into it.</p><p>“I won’t leave.” He smiled momentarily, feeling a small victory before remembering what was happening.</p><p>“Good. We’re going to go sit down and talk right now. No running.”</p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I just think that sometimes, you ask for more than you’re willing to give.” His voice was soft, and Amelia looked over at him. There was a certain distance between them, one making Amelia feel more uncomfortable than she should. She’d sat down on their bed, expecting him to join her, yet he settled into the desk chair in their bedroom. A few feet had never felt larger.</p><p>“And, I think that you expect a lot from me. More than I am.” She picked at a thread on the comforter below her. “There are parts of my life that I’m not open about. Things that happened with Owen, my addiction, my father’s death, I just don’t like to talk about them. With anyone, frankly.” She pulled her knees up to her chest.</p><p>“I know. And, I’m sorry for pushing you; that was wrong. The other night scared me. Seeing you like that-”</p><p>“I never wanted you to see me like that,” she protested, looking away from him. “But it’s also a part of my life, and I can’t promise it won’t happen again.”</p><p>“Then tell me how to help. Because I didn’t know what to do.” Amelia laid back onto the comforter, rolling onto her side to face him.</p><p>“Listen to me. I told you to go to work yesterday. I just wanted to be alone. I know myself, and I know my limits. It’s why I asked you to stay with me at the stadium when I didn’t trust myself to be alone. But after that, I needed time.” He nodded sternly, his arms crossed over his chest.</p><p>“Okay. I will do better to listen, and I’m gonna respect your boundaries better.”</p><p>“Thank you,” she whispered, tucking her arm under her head. “And, I’ll do better to talk to you. With what I’m comfortable saying. And, not leave the apartment whenever I get mad.” Link chuckled gently, almost nervously, as if testing the waters.</p><p>“The job.” Her eyebrows rose. “I’m gonna tell them I can’t do it next season. I just feel like it’s either this relationship or the job.”</p><p>“Link,” she sat up, “no. It’s your dream job. I don’t want you to lose that because of me.” He stood up, walking to the bed, and sitting on the edge. </p><p>“Amelia, I love you. It’s not something I feel very often. And, I want to build a life with you. Continue what we have together, and if something is stopping me from doing that, I have to get rid of that thing.” He reached for her hand, scooching closer to her. “I’ll be just as happy at Grey-Sloan. I mean, maybe we’ll go on more dates to baseball games, but I don’t need the job to be happy.” Her eyes glossed over. “I just need you.” Amelia surged forward, wrapping her arms around him as she fell into his embrace. He sighed contently at the familiar smell of her shampoo, his hands gently combing through it.</p><p>“Promise me one thing?” He loosened his embrace around her, feeling her pull away to look at him.</p><p>“What is it?”</p><p>“You’ll tell me if you’re not happy. I don’t want you to resent me for giving up your job.” He nodded firmly.</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>------------<br/>6 months later<br/>------------</p><p>“Hey, you’re all finished?” Link asked, sliding his arm around his girlfriend’s waist in front of the O.R. board. She turned to look at him and smiled.</p><p>“Yup. Just need to update Koracick, and then I’m free to head out.” She erased her surgery from the board, setting the marker down on the sill of the board. Their hands found each other as she led him toward the lounge. “Did I forget that we have plans tonight?” Link shook his head.</p><p>“I was thinking we could pick up Italian and have a night in.” Amelia grinned, pushing open the door while walking to her locker. She pulled off her scrub top, quickly changing into her clothes in the cubby.</p><p>“You’re looking at me weirdly,” she commented, glancing over at him. He had sat down at the table, his head resting on his palm. “What’s going on?” Link smirked and stood up, walking to his locker next to hers. He rummaged through it.</p><p>“I want you to marry me.” Her face fell in shock, watching as he produced a ring box from the inside of his locker. “And I know it feels a little sudden, we’ve only been together for about a year, but I want to spend my life with you. Spending our days locked up in our apartment, pretending we didn’t meet on Tinder, helping each other be better.” He opened the box and looked down at it. “It’s not a very magnificent ring, I know, but I’ve been thinking a lot about the future recently, and I had to run out and get a ring.”</p><p>“It’s perfect,” Amelia whispered, looking between her boyfriend and the ring in front of her. “It’s simple and beautiful, and frankly, I don’t care about what the ring looks like.” He grinned widely.</p><p>“Is that a yes?” She nodded enthusiastically, wrapping her arms around his neck.</p><p>“It’s a hell yes.”</p>
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